Tesla bassist Brian Wheat doesn't mind if their music is licensed for movies or adverts – but he had a firm message for his old record label when they asked him about another greatest-hits compilation.
The band have just release latest album Simplicity, six years after the launch of previous studio outing Forever More.
The latest title is available via Frontiers Records, and Wheat also has to deal with business via Geffen Records, who own their older recordings, and Round Hill Music, who own publishing rights.
He tells BraveWords: “Round Hill didn’t buy our writers’ share – they bought the publishing share. It means that maybe now you’ll see Tesla songs in commercials or movies, because that’s what they specialise in. It’s a good move for our music to be out there more. It made sense.”
But Wheat was less positive with another offer. “Geffen wanted to put out another greatest hits, and I told them to go fuck themselves,” he reports. “Literally, that’s what I told them. They’ve put out enough greatest hits and watered them down.”
The title of Simplicity comes from Tesla’s aim of stripping away the complexities of modern music in terms of recording, production and attitude. It features 14 tracks, one of which refers to Ted Nugent – who Wheat says represents that traditional attitude.
The bassist says: “I love Ted. I like him on a personal level, I like everything about him. He’s no bullshit – he’s not afraid to piss people off and I like that about him.”
Tesla appear at London’s O2 Islington Academy on June 12 before playing the Download festival next weekend.
